CyberKitten
September 9th, 2007, 01:45 PM
I have somewhat of a moral quandary and am seeking some input from dog lovers. One of my patients - and I actually do home visits sometimes (we no longer call them house calls, lol) if a child is really ill and does not need to be hospitalized but the parents need extra tutoring in caring for a sick child with a port o cath and other wonderful (said in jest) items we use to treat children.
This child is 7 - a yr younger than my niece actually. The family has a lassa apso and as much as I like 99.9% every dog I have ever met (which is a larger % than people, lol) this dog worries me. The other day when I was there, he snapped at the child who was doing absolutely nothing to him By snapping, I mean growling, baring his teeth.... The mom picked up the dog and hugged it - which to me is saying to the dog "Oh yes, you did the right thing to snap at the child.) The dog came before the child I think so his place was usurped and while i do not want to give him anthropomorphic tendencies, I wonder about jealousy.
Should I be concerned? It's not my place to tell her what to do with her pets but the child's health is my concern. Should I tell her she should have disciplined the dog - in a proactive way I mean. I suspect the dog may not have been trained properly.
I also wonder if I am not on high alert since we just had a situation where a child in Truro (small NS town near Hfx) was injured when she was attacked by a small bulldog (think it was a bulldog) and the dog was deemed dangerous put down and no one won in that situation.
Any thoughts?
This child is 7 - a yr younger than my niece actually. The family has a lassa apso and as much as I like 99.9% every dog I have ever met (which is a larger % than people, lol) this dog worries me. The other day when I was there, he snapped at the child who was doing absolutely nothing to him By snapping, I mean growling, baring his teeth.... The mom picked up the dog and hugged it - which to me is saying to the dog "Oh yes, you did the right thing to snap at the child.) The dog came before the child I think so his place was usurped and while i do not want to give him anthropomorphic tendencies, I wonder about jealousy.
Should I be concerned? It's not my place to tell her what to do with her pets but the child's health is my concern. Should I tell her she should have disciplined the dog - in a proactive way I mean. I suspect the dog may not have been trained properly.
I also wonder if I am not on high alert since we just had a situation where a child in Truro (small NS town near Hfx) was injured when she was attacked by a small bulldog (think it was a bulldog) and the dog was deemed dangerous put down and no one won in that situation.
Any thoughts?